1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with what is disclosed herein relate to a robot for performing the cleaning while auto-driving, and more specifically, to an apparatus for returning of robot to return the robot provided with a rechargeable battery to a charging station for the charging and a returning method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a cleaning robot may perform cleaning to absorb dust or exterior materials on the floor while driving within a certain area of a working area without requiring user manipulation. The robot may recognize distances to obstacles such as furniture, office equipment, and walls, which are established within the working area such as within a home or office, through a sensor or a camera. The robot may perform commanded jobs while driving so as not to collide with obstacles by using recognized information.
Such a robot may be provided with a battery that is chargeable with electrical power necessary for the driving. The battery is typically a rechargeable battery that can be charged and used multiple times when the electrical power has been consumed. Thus, the robot may include a charging station and a system so that the rechargeable battery can be connected to and charged with the electrical source when the charging is necessary.
Meanwhile, for the robot to return to the charging station automatically when charging is necessary, the robot should correctly recognize a position of the charging station and correctly connect a connecting socket of the robot to a charging component of the charging station.
For the above, the charging station may transmit certain types of infrared signals for the charge-return. The robot may return to the charging station by performing an operation according to the type of the received signals. In receiving the types of infrared signals for the charge-return according to the consecutive method, problems may arise as the signals may not be received correctly or reflecting signals from the wall or the obstacle may be received. In this case, the robot may have a problem such as moving farther away from the charging station instead of closer to the charging station.